QUESTIONS FOR YOUNG MEN.

ON COURTESY TO WOMEN AND GIRLS.

Continuing our discussion on women and girls, there is still more to be said than can even be suggested here in this short space. It is not by any means the intention of this Department to be prudish and priggish. Nor is it the intention to lay down herein laws that cannot be easily followed in every-day life. The idea is merely to point out familiar ideas, which often lose their efficacy because of the carelessness of the individual. In fact, many a boy would deny that he ever broke one of these simple and well-known laws of courtesy, and yet he probably does break many of them day after day.

These are the days when girls and women not only ride bicycles, not only take care of themselves in pleasure and amusement, but go regularly to their work in almost as large numbers as men. Many a girl goes about town or city night and day to and from her work; many a girl enters different branches of athletics hitherto only supposed to be open to men; and, indeed, men are constantly finding themselves in woman's society in business as well as in pleasure.

Some boys, and unfortunately a great many men, feel that, far from forcing them to behave towards women at all times as they have been in the habit of doing when they were in evening dress, this gradual change, this habit of seeing women more frequently and under all sorts of conditions, is taking off the restraint they have felt in their presence, and bringing them down to their level. If the boys would only think of the matter more or less seriously, they would soon find that as one boy treats another, so he will be judged by the general audience. How much more is this true in a boy's treatment of girls, whether they be known to him or not! Certain laws in this world are very binding, and it is useless to try to break them. You cannot put two stones in exactly the same place. No one ever ate his cake and had it too. And no boy who has not a distinct appreciation of the courtesy due from every man to every woman can have a thorough respect for himself. One is just as impossible as are the others.

If you have any ambition to bear yourself well, to succeed in life in all ways as well as in the financial way, which is commonly understood when "success" is mentioned, you must become aware of the fact that you cannot live any kind of life you may like for years and still have the highest character. It is the little incidents from day to day which make a man's character, and perhaps the strongest of all these little incidents are those which concern the treatment of women and girls by men and boys. The habit of being constantly with women sometimes cultivates the habit of paying little attention to them, of not recollecting that they are to be treated with never-failing courtesy. This is but a step in the direction leading to such incidents as one sees in Europe, where young brothers sit about the house in their uniforms paid for by their sisters' sewing or teaching, and let these same sisters bring their shoes, or coats, or glasses of water, and what not. When we go to Germany and see this sort of thing, we acquire a contempt for the men of that race. They do not begin to equal the vigor, the manliness, the civilization, of our American men. And yet we must not behold the mote in our brother's eye unless we consider the beam in our own. We must not criticise others unless we can at least say that our own men have a clear idea of their proper course in such a matter.

Furthermore, when you are dealing with the other sex it is wise to bear in mind that as you treat them, so are you building up character in yourself. If you do not bear in mind the courtesies of all kinds which are woman's due, you cannot retain for any length of time a pride in yourself, a satisfaction with your behavior, which is commonly called self-respect; and without self-respect you will have a hard time of it in the world.

In other words, the higher the pedestal on which you place all women, both of your acquaintance and not of your acquaintance, the higher you are putting yourself, the better your standards will be, and the better man you will make yourself.

AN UNFAIR DIVISION.

Many old residents of New York will remember Hank Miller, sometimes called the "Omnibus King." Quiet, good-natured, and full of fun, he enjoyed a patronage which eventually netted him a neat income. One evening Hank was making his rounds of the stable, as was his wont, when he overheard the chink of money and a subdued muttering. Glancing over a stall, he discovered one of his drivers counting his fares as follows:

"That's two shillun' for Hank, and two for me," laying the shillings in two piles. He kept on dividing his fares, until he came to the last piece of money, an odd shilling.

"There," said he, "that's too bad to come out uneven, 'cause I wants to be square and go halves with Hank. Let me see, shall I throw this in his pile? No, I'll toss it up; heads for me and tails for Hank," and he spun it up in the air. "Tails it is!" he cried as it fell. "Well, that's Hank's, I suppose," but he hesitated. "No, I guess I'll toss again." This time it fell down heads. "Ah, I knew that first toss wasn't fair!" and having divided the money to his satisfaction, he slipped away without knowing that Hank had been watching him.

Hank gained his office before the thieving driver arrived to leave his fares. "Good-evening, Jack," said he, as the man entered. "Luck good to-day?"

"Rather poor, Mr. Miller," and he laid the money on the desk.

"Well, Jack, I guess we can dispense with your services from now on."

"Eh! How's that? What have I done?" cried the astonished Jack.

Hank gave a quiet smile, and then, looking the man in the eye, said: "You see, Jack, you didn't treat me fair. By rights, I should have had another chance at that odd shilling."

NOT IN THE DICTIONARY.

Teacher. "What word are you looking for, Brown?"

Thad Brown. "Why, teacher, you wanted to know what a woman would be called who performed a brave act. Now, a man who acts bravely is a hero, but I can't find the word for a brave woman."

Teacher. "What is the word?"

Thad. "Shero; but it's not in this dictionary."

NEW YORK'S GREAT PARK.

An Englishman was showing his friend, an American, through the houses of Parliament, in London, the meanwhile commenting in a somewhat arrogant manner upon what he was pleased to term the superiority of the English public buildings and parks.

"There," he exclaimed, "is our magnificent Thames Embankment, a delightful spot! Why, you have nothing in your country to compare with it, especially in that great New York city; then again, every gentleman owns an estate, and, let me assure you, sir, such estates are no small bits of property."

This went on for a considerable time, until the American, growing tired, said, "But, Lord de T., you have travelled in our country, have you not?"

"Oh, yes, my dear sir; right across it."

"Well, then, you should have a fair idea of its size."

"Very big place, sir, very big."

"And you know New-York city quite well, eh?"

"Oh, yes—yes indeed."

"Well, then, you see, we didn't want anything in the line of parks in New York, with, of course, the exception of a few squares; but outside of the city we wanted a park, and so we decided to use the United States as a park for New York city."

"Dear me, how extravagant."

"Not at all, sir; why, we even contemplated floating the British Isles over and anchoring them a short distance outside the city's harbor as a sort of breakwater, you know."

This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should address Editor Stamp Department.

How many stamps make a good collection? I am frequently asked this question by readers of the Round Table, and find it a very hard one to answer. For instance, on one day I saw a collection of over 2000 stamps, and had to say it was a very poor collection. There were a few scarce stamps, but every common stamp, every "Seebeck" stamp, and all the cut-square envelopes and post-cards went to make up the quantity. On the other hand, it was my good fortune to see a little book about 6 by 4 inches in size, with some 30 or 40 leaves. This was a selection made up from one of our great collectors' albums for exhibition in the coming London stamp show. This little book, which could be slipped into any pocket, contained 200 stamps, the catalogue value of which was $15,000. Every stamp was in perfect condition—Hawaiian "missionary"; Cape of Good Hope wood block, in blocks of two and four; Canada 12d.; first series of British Guiana; first of Moldavia; shilling, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, etc., in various shades; Brattleboro, Baltimore, and other rare U.S. locals. In fact, to enumerate the stamps would be to give a list of the great rarities. Such a collection is hardly ever seen, and after exhibition the stamps will be restored to their proper places in the regular albums.

The government does not seem to make much progress in the prosecution of the parties who had in their possession fifty sets of the Periodical stamps (from 1c. to $60), the face value of which was about $10,000. These were hawked about in New York at $80 per set as genuine stamps. The claim is now made in court that they were not originals, but proofs. The leading dealers in New York declined to have anything to do with the stamps when they were first offered, and their caution has been amply justified.

A. Lamareux.—The so-called 25c. and 50c. gold pieces were never made by the government. The bulk of them were manufactured by jewellers, and, as a rule, they do not contain more than 25 per cent. of their nominal value in gold. The manufacture of these so-called coins is now illegal.

R. Bulkley.—The difference between the 10c. U.S. brown of 1872, unused, worth $1, and the one worth $10 is altogether in the paper. In the one case the mesh is quite apparent when held up to the light; in the other, the paper is harder and more compact. I assume you are an expert, and know the differences in the papers used by the different bank-note companies.

W. F. Webb.—The U.S. 24c. of 1857, unused, is worth $5; the 12c., same issue, unused, $1.25. If used, about half as much. The $1 mortgage, unperforated, worth $1.

R. F. Anderson.—Packets of very common stamps (30 or 40 varieties) can be had at 25c. per 1000. Cheap-priced packets will of course contain cheap stamps only. "Correos y telegs" is Spanish, indicating that the stamp can be used in payment of postage or for telegrams. "Comunicaciones" is Spanish also.

C. W. W. and A. G. D.—The 1870 stamps were grilled. In 1872 the same plates were used in the manufacture of the ungrilled stamps. The grilled is worth 100 times as much as the ungrilled.

E. B. Mayo.—I am not a dealer. Apply to some regular dealer for your wants.

J. Waxer.—The 2c. and 3c. U.S. coins are very common.

Philatus.

Reject all compounds which dispense With honest work and common sense; With Ivory Soap the wash is good And takes no longer than it should.

Copyright 1896, by The Procter & Gamble Co., Cin'ti